The Bend in Redwood Road

Missing Pieces, Book 1

By: Danielle Stewart

Narrated by: Janelle Tedesco

Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

Most days it's manageable. No more than a quiet wondering around the edges of her mind. What has become of the baby she left behind?

Smiling through the pain and suffering in silence, Leslie Laudon marches forward. Embracing the life skillfully designed by her husband Paul. Living right could be penance for an impossible choice made with an uneasy heart.

Dutiful and anchoring, Leslie poured herself into her other children. Nurturing them through infancy, protecting them as toddlers, guiding them as teens. As her youngest child heads off to college with her suitcases and coordinating dorm room accessories, so goes Leslie’s identity. The chaotic life of a busy working mother threatens to become dangerously quiet. Quiet enough to hear the voices she’s tried to silence for decades.

Gwen Fox was adopted by two perfect people. Noel and Millie have always treated her the same as their two biological sons. Her parents love is strong and unwavering, yet a soul-deep ache still lingers. Plagued by an unnamed, hard-to-explain longing Gwen could never shake.

Riddled with doubt and dragged down by the undertow of unanswered questions, Leslie and Gwen both find their lives suddenly upended. One seeks the truth about the day she was born. The other seeks herself, the woman she was before motherhood. Before she made a choice to leave a piece of her heart lying asleep in the hospital nursery.

In this complex journey for answers, blame is abundant. Guilt is thick enough to choke on. Marriages are brought to the brink of disaster. As the ripples of the past vibrate through their lives, Gwen and Leslie realize there is no turning back. What they have put into motion cannot be stopped. The road toward the truth will be littered with casualties.

©2019 Danielle Stewart (P)2020 Danielle Stewart

Great book

Strong story with multi-faceted characters. I found myself wishing there more pages because I didn't want the story to end.

great story line and really touch on good points

it left me wanting more info if she found her father. what he felt.

Wow!

This isn't usually my genre of choice, but it came highly recommended by a trusted source. Wow! I am so glad I gave it a chance! Stories like this aren't easy to read, so have some tissues nearby. The storytelling was emotional and deep, and the issues the characters all dealt with were huge. All of the characters had personalities and depth. The narrator is one of my favorites, and her acting skills were showcased in this book. Well done. I only wish I could give it more stars.

Very well written!

Love her books. They are engaging and fun to read. Not all gooey love story but of course that is mixed in too.

Couldn't stop listening!

This was my first Danielle Stewart book I've ever "read" or listened to. Wow! I'm hooked! The storyline progressed quickly. The characters are likeable, relatable and believable.
Janelle Tedesco narrated this book beautifully. She was able to give each character their own voice. Janelle is one of my favorite narrators and always portrays the characters in a way that a listener can "visualize".
I cannot wait for book 2!

Excellent listen!!!

I never say this in the beginning of reviews but I must here: I AM SO GLAD THIS STORY CONTINUES!!!


When I say this was an excellent listen I mean from start to finish, everything about this story was on point. The story of the Leslie's and Gwen's worlds converging was so expertly written that even though I knew where the roads would meet, I was in constant anticipation of that eventuality. Stewart's pacing and story progression was like a well-written song that built to a crescendo. This story needs to be experienced!!


The narration was next-level! Tedesco is easily one of the best narrators in the business and this performance ranks at the very top. There are a rollercoaster of emotions in this listen (expertly written, I must repeat) and the narration stays true to every high and low.


When this wonderful story ended, I was absolutely giddy to know that there is a book two. Today was a good day!

Male voices struggled

Gwen and Griffs relationship was immature, it was annoying to listen to given their age

Narrating

The story was good. However, I did not at all like the men’s voices that were a female deep I g her voice. Didn’t feel or sound natural. I couldn’t connect with the sound of those fake voices.

An emotional listen

I loved this story. The emotions were so real... two women dealing with the consequences of the decisions that they made. My heart was breaking for them.

This was my first book by Danielle Stewart, and I’m sure it won’t be my last. I love how she wove the two women’s stories together and brought them to a very satisfying conclusion.

Janelle Tedesco has been one of my favorite narrators, and she has delivered another fantastic performance. She drew me right into the story. All the emotions and feelings were so real, I forgot that I was listening to a story... it was more like watching everything unfold.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and I have voluntarily left this review.

Not totally engrossing

The storyline here never totally involved me. The action proceeded slowly, with semi-awkward transitions in perspective between a young woman who was adopted and her biological mother who gave her up at birth. I had trouble connecting to either of these characters, who seemed underdeveloped. The pace did pick up during the final chapters, but not enough for me to give this a four star rating.